Tool Box Buzz

Milwaukee WORKSKIN Performance Shirts Review

I often wonder if there was an “Aha moment” at Milwaukee when they were discussing getting into heated gear, base layers and now lightweight clothing gear. To us at ToolBoxBuzz.com, it was a no-brainer.

Milwaukee recently came out with a next to skin layer called Workskin. This new product is designed for work in warm weather and handles body heat in a very unique way.

According to Milwaukee’s internal research on contractor’s summer-use of performance gear has grown 100% over two-years. From 15% in 2004 to 40-50% in 2016.

Solving Problems On the Job site

Milwaukee makes it no secret that they actively seek out and attempt to solve problems encountered on the job site. Creating an entire clothing package around the goal of making us more comfortable, and productive sounds like a good idea to me.

The ToolBoxBuzz crew feels strongly that job site “gear,” includes clothing, its the whole package, not just tools.

Clothing Problems Encountered on the Job site

Job site feedback showed that many contractors are wearing cotton t-shirts on the jobsite. The problem with cotton is that once it gets wet it tends to stay wet, bunch, fold up and get uncomfortable. Now imagine that your wearing a tool belt, suspension system or a harness and that situation just got more uncomfortable.

“Despite the rise in popularity of athletic base layers and performance shirts, our research discovered that most of these products are not designed to address the performance and durability needs specific to jobsite work environments,” said Patrick Lueck, Product Manager for Milwaukee Tool.

Shirt Temperature Difference After 20 Minutes of Heavy Activity

Next To Skin Layer – “WorkSkin”

Milwaukee WORKSKIN Performance Shirts are designed to be worn next-to-skin and to dry fast, keeping the wearer cool, and protect them from the sun.

The Milwaukee WORKSKIN Shirts utilize patented COOLCORE® Fabrics to stay up to 30% cooler, wick moisture faster, and prevent uncomfortable saturation from sweat.

This . Once sweat enters the Workskin garment, it is dispersed into a wider area which prevents saturation in one spot, and regulates a faster evaporation resulting in a cooling effect.

The key to these shirts is their ability to help prevent the shirt from becoming saturated in one spot. Instead it spreads out the perspiration which allows it to evaporate quicker.

Fast Wicking Sweat Zones

The addition of Fast Wicking Sweat Zones underneath the arms and down the back help accelerate wicking / drying in high-sweat areas, like under arms and across the back. The fast wicking sweat zones have a mesh appearance to them to allow better breathing of the garment.

Made with fabrics that resist pilling and snagging from repeated daily use, Milwaukee® WORKSKIN™ Performance Shirts stay dry and stay cool to reduce fatigue from the hard work in the heat.

Testing the Workskin Shirts

I wore the shirts on the job site for two different days. The shirts were comfortable and definitely breathable. Unfortunately I  did not get a sweat going enough activity going to get a good sweat.

Determined to see if these shirts were true to advertising I took them to the gym for a circuit training session. as you can see from the photo the sweat from my head and neck was dispersed over a wider area across my chest. 15 minute after activity this shirt was almost dry, and not visibly wet.

Thoughtful Design – Crack is Wack!”

Any shirt will provide UV protections and the Workskin is no different. It provides 95% UV protection and helps block harmful rays from reaching the skin.

The fabric Milwaukee used is a durable pilling-resistant. The shirts also feature drop-tail, extended backs to provide extra coverage when squatting down or working overhead. Lastly, they listened to guys who wear fall-arrest harnessed and moved all shoulder seams out of the way to discomfort from straps and harnesses.

Made in the USA

The Workskin shirts are made in the USA with global materials, I can certainly appreciate Milwaukee investing in jobs here in the states. They come in both Gray and High Visibility, are all logo-compatable and come in sizes S-3XL.

Cost

The Workskin shirts sell as shor t or long sleeve.

• Short sleeve     $29.99
• Long-sleeve     $ 39.99

While certainly more expensive than your concert t-shirt, they are competitively proved when compared to other popular performance shirt brands.

Overall Impression

While you may not have a compelling reason to trust in Milwaukee Tools to provide quality clothing consider this.

They’re offering a shirt made in the USA, overseeing the design, construction and quality process resulting in a shirt that has superior moisture management, added features like the drop-tail and seamless shoulders, all at a $30 price-point.

Still sounds like a no-brainer.

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